My cabinet....

[zabrin]

Well I would figure I would share a couple of pics of my cabinet...

I don't have the wood working tools or ability to build my own so I opted to pick up a kit from recroommasters.com. It is the sit down version from them. I put in an inexpensive RCA 32" 1080p lcd TV.

I wanted to use my own controls and not the x-arcade tank stick. Parts I used are as follows...

Ipac keyboard controller

LEDwiz lighting controller

2 happ supers

1 happ super with 4-way restrictor from groovygamegear

1 happ trackball - translucent blue

Chromalite pushbuttons from groovygamegear

AimTrak light gun from ultimarc

Spintrak spinner from ultimarc

Dolphin bar ( I only use for wii mote controls)

mayflash gamecube adapter (for wavebird wireless controller)

Ataptoid (n64 adaptor)

xbox 360 wireless receiver

For the PC I put together this little machine that is better that I ever thought it would be.

Intel G3258 20th anniversary pentium chip (overclock to 4.5)

Asrock Z97E-ITX/ac motherboard

Cooler Master 120v water cooler

Cooler Master Elite 130 ITX case

Amd 7790 video card

4 gigs ram

2TB internal HD

2TB external HD

Things I still want to do, hopefully in the near future...

Artwork - still don't know what I want to choose..

Mario

Final Fantasy

Justice League

Michigan Football

Up the memory to 4 gigs

New video card

Can't forget my wall of controllers..

Black Xbox 360 controller

White Xbox 360 controller

Nintendo Gamecube Wavebird Wireless controller

N64 Controller

Logitech F310 wire controller

Mario Wii Mote

Red Wii Nunchuck

Mario Battle Pad

Mario Racing Wheel

Xbox 360 Wired Guitar

Just wanted to share..

Z.

[Draco1962]

They make a pretty decent sit down cabinet! Looks like you have the nice starts. Will be cool to see what you do for the decor.

[tthurman]

I love these threads

Is that Tempest above the Asteroids poster?

Nice looking buiild, did you build your own CP?

[zabrin]

Thanks!!

Why yes it is a Tempest poster. The posters cam with the Atari Flashback 4 kit. Tempest is the reason I even started to think about an arcade cabinet. My personal favorite game.

Yes I built and wired the CP myself. Well I drilled some holes,lol.

This actually is my 4th mame cabinet and my last. At least the wife says so! My first cabinet was given to me, it was a hot mess to say the least. My second cabinet was a real nice build. I am an electrician and was working at one of the local High Schools, I became friends with the wood shop teacher. I purchased Ultimate Arcade 2 plans from mamegameroom.com. I think they are called North Coast Arcades now. He had his two best students cut all the wood for me and I just put it together. I should have a pic somewhere, I will add it if I come across it. While I had that one I bought the original cocktail kit from recroommasters. I really liked kicking back in my chair and playing. The biggest problem I had was the smaller screens. Since I also use console emulation I wanted one with a large screen, hence the one I have today.

I pretty much have used a wide variety of controls from Ultimarc and Groovygamegear. I struggle all the time with how something looks and how it plays. Always changing something. The never ending project!!!!

Z.

[Draco1962]

I am thinking about modding my Xarcade Tankstick with the spinners from Groovygamegear referenced by ClassicGMR here. While I like the Tankstick, I will probably design my own overlay and have it printed by Recroommasters or see what an old highschool friend can wip up for me who lives in a smaller town just south of me. If he can do a one-time deal but it is of equal or better quality, I don't mind spending a little more $ to help a friend's business.

[zabrin]

Draco1962, You can't go wrong buying any product from Randy over at GGG. He is knowledgeable and helpful!!! One of the easiest things to install are spinners. Just drill one button hole. I use a 1 1/8 hole saw for my buttons. One reason is that I always have that size hole saw around, its for 3/4 EMT conduit.

Whatever route you take please let me know the quality of your friends or RRMs artwork. My problem is that I don't have the artistic skill to design my own. I would really like to get some artwork soon!!!

I had a tankstick at one time. I used it on my cocktail cabinet from recroommasters. I gutted the whole thing. I put RGB buttons from ultimarc with the pac64 led controllers. I put in mag sticks from ultimarc but I changed the handles to rgb from paradise arcade. I could never find a rgb solution for a spinner top though. I reviewed this build over at BYOAC forums if you are interested to see any of the pics.

Z.

[zabrin]

Just in case you are interested...here is the link over at BYOAC

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,129717.0.html

Z.

[tthurman]

Yeah I second the GGG spinner, get the energy cylinder thingy, makes it feel so much better IMO. Probably should consider grabbing a steering wheel adapter too while you're at it. I need to do this myself.

Sounds like this is old hat to you Z. If you kept all these you would have a small aracde

[tthurman]

Outstandling mod job on the TankStick!

[zabrin]

Thanks tthurman! I had a lot of fun doing it. The bad thing is I always take a beating when I sell the stuff...lol

I also would be living alone with a huge child support payment if I would of kept them all,lol. In all honesty, my wife had been a great sport about my gaming habit or she calls addiction.

I would of put rgb's in my current cabinet but I really like the look of the chromalite's. They just don't play as nice. You gotta take the good with the bad.

Z.

[Draco1962]

Very cool mod on the Tankstick! I don't know that I will bother with a complete gutting of mine. just want to add a spinner or two. Since it will be me playing it mostly by myself, I don't see a need to install two, but that may change as my mind often does.

A few of us had created some Tankstick skin designs (not sure that the dimensions are to proper spec with the template at RRM, will have to check to see). You can see a few examples here.

[zabrin]

Here are the pics of my old UA2 cabinet...found them on my facebook page...

Oh I forgot all about the controls on this one...

The two 8way sticks are happ perfect 360's and the yellow 4-way is from tornado terrys ms-pacman stick. Wow those bring back some memories!!!

Z.

[Draco1962]

We have an electrician, an artist (somewhat), just need a woodworker and a marketer and we could form a game cabinet company. Wait, would need lots of startup money.. dammit. OK, enough derailing of your cabinet thread!

[zabrin]

One can dream, draco....one can dream..

Z.

[zabrin]

Found another pic of the old cocktail before the tankstick mod!!!

Z.

[Draco1962]

That is actually the cab I wanted for my office before they stopped making it.

[stigzler]

'andsome cab that, chap!

Artwork - argh - know the feeling. Mine's been waiting over a year now - cab and hardware all done, but really struggling with the artwork bit. I design something, come back to it 3 months later and think "god that looks crap." I'd go Final Fantasy - maybe 8. I think illustration art looks better on cabs - such as the streetfighter character etc.. bet the FF8 characters would look spiffing. Hmmm... comic book Alien art... now there's an idea...

And whoa - that's some incredibly meticulous wiring - kudos! You wouldn't believe the mess some fellas get into wiring:

[zabrin]

Thanks stigzler! That was my favorite cab (UA2) but it just didn't fit my needs anymore.

I would feel right at home in that pic, lol...I have been there, parts everywhere, wife yelling, kids laughing...good times...good times....

Z.

[tthurman]

well stigz, I'm not touchin' that (put a back on that thing)